Writing to the Prime Minister, the Totnes MP said she could no longer be part of a party whose policies were 'in the grip of the ERG and DUP'.

Dr Wollaston said she entered politics to help to shape and to scrutinise policy making. She says she will now continue that approach as an independent MP.

Totnes MP Sarah Wollaston

Writing to the Prime Minister, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston said: "We no longer feel we can remain in the party of a Government whose policies and priorities are so firmly in the grip of the ERG and DUP.

"Brexit has re-defined the Conservative Party - undoing all the efforts to modernise it. There has been a dismal failure to stand up to the hard line ERG which operates openly as a party within a party, with its own leader, whip and policy."

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In a statement sent out by her office, Dr Wollaston expanded on her decision.

She wrote: "It is with great sadness that I have today resigned the Conservative whip. This is not a decision I have taken lightly but I no longer feel that the Conservatives are the same Party that I joined a decade ago. I can no longer continue as a member of a Party which, in government, is making poor decisions that will hit the communities I represent and set back the prospects for ending austerity.

The Totnes MP is calling for a long term increase in NHS funding

"After 24 years as a front line doctor and teacher in the NHS I entered politics because I wanted to bring that real life experience to help to shape and to scrutinise policy making.

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"I was the first Conservative candidate to be selected via a full open postal primary in which all registered voters were given a say. In 2009 I made the case for the moderate, tolerant centre ground of politics.

"I will continue to take that approach as an independent MP working alongside other independents who share the same values.

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"As the Conservative Party has been dragged to the right and the Labour Party to an extreme and intolerant left, millions of people now feel that neither of our main parties represent their views and that our political system is broken. I have been honoured to serve this constituency as a Member of Parliament since 2010 and I would like to thank everyone who has supported me.”

Dr Wollaston also wrote a letter to her constituents, which can be read in full below.

Sarah Wollaston's letter to constituents

With regret, I have decided to resign the Conservative Party whip. I am passionate about this constituency and proud to have been the first Conservative parliamentary candidate to be selected via a full open postal primary. This gave every registered voter in the Totnes constituency, regardless of party affiliation, the opportunity to decide which Conservative candidate they would prefer. From the outset, I have made the case for a centrist, moderate and outward looking approach to our politics. I assure you that I will continue to take that approach but will now do so as an independent MP. I will carry on working constructively with the many hard-working Conservative councillors across this constituency, for whom I have the greatest respect. My decision is no reflection on them.

However, at a national level the Conservative Party appears to have abandoned attempts to modernise or to broaden its appeal and has instead become less tolerant and more inward-looking. I can no longer remain a member of a party whose leadership has become so driven by the demands of the ERG and the DUP. I do not share their right wing values or those of the UKIP supporters who have been urged to join the Conservative Party via aggressive and well-funded social media campaigns in order to deselect moderate MPs.

The final straw has been the Government’s mishandling of Brexit. Despite the PM losing her majority, no meaningful attempt was made to reach out to heal the divisions left by the referendum or to seek a cross Party, or national consensus, on the way forward. The 48% who voted to remain are marginalised and alienated and many Leave voters have also been left exasperated by the PM’s Deal. The trade-offs and compromises in the Withdrawal Agreement and Future Framework mean that the Deal is a long way from the unrealistic promises made during the referendum campaign.

Brexit has consumed and squandered the energy of Government, Parliament and our political parties. That together with a shift to the right by the Conservatives has undermined efforts to tackle the ‘burning injustices’ that the PM pledged to address on entering Downing Street.

We have reached a precarious moment in our national life. Nothing has divided us like Brexit and we now face the serious prospect of crashing out of the EU in less than 40 days’ time with No Deal and no transition. This would not be a ‘clean Brexit’ as some have chosen to represent it. The serious real-world consequences would harm people not only in this constituency but across the whole of the UK and beyond. We are already seeing clear evidence of the consequences for people working in companies like Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, Dyson, Fly BMI, Panasonic and for sectors like the pharmaceutical industry following the relocation of expertise and jobs with the European Medicines Agency. It is also starting to hit local businesses.

The truth is that No Deal Brexit would deal a body blow to our economy, putting jobs and livelihoods at risk as well as crushing the opportunity to reverse austerity. Having looked at the evidence of the damage it would inflict, I cannot support a No Deal Brexit and I wholly reject the PM’s false binary choice between that grim option and her own deeply flawed Deal. I have for many weeks said that I would resign the whip if No Deal became the stated policy of the Government but also that I would do so if running down the clock amounted to the same.

I believe that everyone deserves the right to examine and weigh up the pros and cons of the Deal and to have the final say in a referendum. This would offer the opportunity to confirm Brexit and proceed rapidly with implementation or to remain. Without that valid consent, I believe there will be decades of acrimony about the consequences.

The Labour Party has also changed beyond repair. It is now permanently in the grip of the hard left and tainted by its failure to root out anti-Semitism, these are some of the reasons why several of its MPs have already decided that they too must resign the whip. I will be sitting alongside them in a new centre grouping of independent MPs who share a common set of values, The Independent Group. We agree with the millions of people who feel that neither main political party represents them and that there needs to be a new offer at the heart of our politics.

I know that being an MP is an enormous privilege and I remain hugely grateful to everyone who has supported me. I know some will now call for me to stand in a by election but neither this nor a general election would answer the fundamental question that is dividing us… for that we need a referendum on the final Brexit deal. I will be listening carefully to views about The Independent Group and how this could develop in the future. I remain absolutely committed to this constituency.

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Sarah Wollaston discusses reasons for quitting Tory party

Totnes MP Sarah Wollaston explained her decision to quit the Conservative Party with a scathing attack on Theresa May’s Brexit policy.

“I think what we now see is that the party that was once the most trusted on the economy and business is now marching us towards the cliff edge of a no-deal Brexit. I have been saying for weeks that if it became main party policy to deliver no deal, then I would have to leave.

“I’m afraid there comes a point when running down the clock is, in effect, the same thing, and none of us are prepared to wait until our toes are at the cliff edge before we take a stand and before we are prepared to put our careers on the line to say ‘please, change your mind Prime Minister’.

“This is not a binary choice between no deal and a poor deal. There is a third way, and that third way is to hand the decision back to the British people, to allow them to weigh up the evidence and the pros and cons of the actual Brexit deal rather than fantasy promises that were made during the referendum campaign. This will allow the public to weigh up the pros and cons and give their valid consent to this deal.”

16:48

Sarah Wollaston says she has not spoken to PM about her decision

Sarah Wollaston ended with a message to the PM:

“Do not take us over the cliff, reach out tot he moderates that are left in your party or you will lose them too,” she said.

“I have many wonderful friends in the Conservative Party and many of them have sent me very supportive messages asking me to not leave.

But I have had no contact with the Prime Minister’s office or the Whip’s office either.

“I don’t think nay effort has ever been made to reach out to those of us in the moderate centre-ground of the party.”

14:45

These are the MPs who quit the Labour party

14:41KEY EVENT

What is the new Independent Party?

Here is a video to explain the new party

14:35

MPs call on colleagues to join the Independent Party

At a Westminster press conference, they made clear that their concerns about Mrs May’s performance went far wider, accusing the PM of throwing away the modernisation agenda begun by David Cameron and allowing the party to be taken over by right-wing Brexit hardliners.

Ms Soubry said she would not stay in the Conservatives to “skirmish on the margins when the truth is the battle is over and the other side has won”.

She said: “The right wing, the hardline anti-EU awkward squad that have destroyed every leader for the last 40 years are now running the Conservative Party from top to toe. They are the Conservative Party.”

The Broxtowe MP urged “fellow one nation Conservatives” and “like-minded Lib Dems” to “please, come and join us” by breaking away from their parties and joining the new grouping.

She accused a “purple Momentum” of hard-right “zealots” of trying to force out MPs on the Remain wing of the party through deselections.

Speaking ahead of their resignations, Tory grandee Kenneth Clarke told the Press Association that he could think of “half a dozen” Conservatives who might quit the party unless it changed direction. Mrs May could face “quite a lot” of ministerial resignations unless she ruled out a no-deal Brexit, he said.

The Father of the Commons said the Prime Minister was “running the risk of losing moderates from her party” and was “simply acting at the behest of the extreme right wing of the party”.

Ms Allen described the Tory trio as the “three amigos” who had joined the “magnificent seven” ex-Labour MPs who launched The Independent Group (TIG) on Monday and the “lone ranger” Joan Ryan who joined them on Tuesday evening.

She said she believed “a significant number” of Conservative MPs were considering joining them.

Ms Soubry urged ministers to quit in order to vote against a no-deal Brexit.

She said: “I’m hoping that this will really concentrate some minds of colleagues in the Conservative Party that we know share our concerns and also share our values and our principles and are very unhappy about the direction of travel.

“I also hope it gives courage to members of the Government who are deeply concerned about this no-deal becoming a real possibility.

“And it will give them the courage next week to do what, frankly, some of them should have done a long time ago and be true to what they believe, and if they need to leave Government and vote against the party line on Brexit, they have got to do it.”

The move brings the tally of TIG MPs to 11 - equal to the Liberal Democrats and one more than the Democratic Unionist Party, who prop up Mrs May’s minority administration in the House of Commons.

In a letter to Mrs May, the three MPs said: “We no longer feel we can remain in the party of a Government whose policies and priorities are so firmly in the grip of the ERG and DUP.

“Brexit has re-defined the Conservative Party - undoing all the efforts to modernise it. There has been a dismal failure to stand up to the hard line ERG which operates openly as a party within a party, with its own leader, whip and policy.”

They added: “The final straw for us has been this Government’s disastrous handling of Brexit.”

Former minister Ms Soubry, the MP for Broxtowe, Totnes MP Dr Wollaston and South Cambridgeshire MP Ms Allen said they could “no longer act as bystanders” as Mrs May continued with her Brexit strategy.

They said: “Following the EU referendum of 2016, no genuine effort was made to build a cross-party, let alone a national consensus to deliver Brexit.

“Instead of seeking to heal the divisions or to tackle the underlying causes of Brexit, the priority was to draw up ‘red lines’. The 48% were not only sidelined, they were alienated.”

They added that there was a wider dissatisfaction with the state of British politics, with both the Tories and Labour moving “to the fringes, leaving millions of people with no representation”.

They said “there will be times” when they would support the Government at Westminster “on measures to strengthen our economy, security and improve our public services”.

“But we now feel honour-bound to put our constituents’ and country’s interests first.”

Speaking at the press conference, Ms Allen, a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, made clear she was also opposed to the Government’s stance on welfare.

“I can no longer represent a Government and a party who can’t open their eyes to the suffering endured by the most vulnerable in society, suffering which we have deepened whilst having the power to fix,” she said.

Dr Wollaston, who chairs the Commons Health Committee, said: “I am afraid the Prime Minister simply hasn’t delivered on the pledge she made on the steps of Downing Street to tackle the burning injustices in our society.

“I think that what we now see is the party, that was once the most trusted on the economy and business, is now marching us to the cliff-edge of a no-deal Brexit.”

Mrs May said she was “saddened” by the decision but insisted that “we are doing the right thing for our country” by delivering Brexit.

She added: “I am determined that under my leadership the Conservative Party will always offer the decent, moderate and patriotic politics that the people of this country deserve.”

A Downing Street spokesman said the three MPs’ Conservative associations were now free to select new general election candidates but said he was not aware of any central directive to do so. He said he was not in a position to rule out their return to the party after Brexit.

14:26

More reaction from Ben Bradshaw

14:14

“I’m not leaving the Conservative Party, it has left us”

Anna Soubry said that since Theresa May became leader the party had shifted to the right and “the modernising reforms that had taken years to achieve were destroyed”.

Quoting phrases from the Prime Minister’s speeches, Ms Soubry said “citizens of the world were cast out as citizens of nowhere, Remain voters marginalised and insulted as members of the liberal, metropolitan elite”.

She added that EU citizens who had “lived and contributed to this country for decades” were “being labelled as queue jumpers”.

Ms Soubry said: “I’m not leaving the Conservative Party, it has left us.”

14:12

Sarah Wollaston felt "great sadness" at quitting the Conservative Party

“I am afraid the Prime Minister simply hasn’t delivered on the pledge she made on the steps of Downing Street to tackle the burning injustices in our society,” she said. “I think that what we now see is the party, that was once the most trusted on the economy and business, is now marching us to the cliff-edge of a no-deal Brexit.”

13:39

MPs say the resignations are 'a mistake'

The departing Conservatives have been told they are making “a big mistake” by their former colleagues, as MPs from across the house have reacted to their decision to join the Independent Group.

Former Conservative Party chairman Eric Pickles said the move is “expected, sad, and ultimately a big mistake for the individuals”.

Fellow Conservative Grant Shapps said the situation is “sad” and rejected suggestions that the departees are putting constituents first.

He tweeted: “They’ve wrongly concluded colleagues who support #Brexit are not putting constituents first! #Remain or #Leave doesn’t define whether you’re a moderate!”

Scottish Labour’s Danielle Rowley condemned the other members of the Independent Group for working with the three former Conservatives.

“How people who once called themselves Labour can cosy up next to the likes of (Anna) Soubry, smiling and laughing, is absolutely beyond me,” she tweeted.

“I guess we now know how their policies and values differ from Labour.”

Conservative MP Nicky Morgan said that she is “very sorry” to lose Ms Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston from her party.

She tweeted: “Any political party should be a broad church and we should regret losing three such talented women from the Conservative Party.”

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd tweeted: “Great shame to have lost the commitment and undeniable talent of three Conservative colleagues.

“I look forward to continuing to work with them on a number of important issues, including a Brexit deal that works for the whole country.”

The deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, Jo Swinson, praised the three MPs’ “brave” move.

“Kudos to the brave MPs who have left the broken Conservative and Labour parties,” she tweeted.

“Our country deserves better than this national shambles of a Government.”

The party’s leader Sir Vince Cable said his party “will hold out the hand of friendship to the independent MPs with whom we already have a good working relationship”.

“In the short term we must focus on securing a People’s Vote, with an option to stay in the EU,” he added.

The Independent Group welcomed the three to the party, tweeting: “Both our parties are broken. We are going to #ChangePolitics for the better.”

Chuka Umunna, one of eight Labour MPs to have formed the breakaway group, said he is “delighted” the former Conservative MPs have followed suit.

MP John Lamont of the Scottish Conservative Party tweeted a photo of the Independent Group sitting together in the House of Commons, commenting they “seem to be enjoying their new seats”.

Prime Minister Theresa May tweeted: “I am saddened by this decision, these are people who have given dedicated service to our party over many years, and I thank them for it.

“I am determined that under my leadership the Conservative Party will always offer the decent, moderate and patriotic politics that the people of this country deserve.”

Mrs May cited the UK’s exit from the EU as a “source of disagreement”, but said she would continue to deliver it.

13:34

Press conference under way

The defecting trio - Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston - have arrived for a press conference to discuss their decision to leave the Tories to join the fledgling Independent Group.

The three MPs entered the wood-panelled room in the Georgian conference centre in Westminster to the rapid-firing of photographers’ shutters.

Other members of the new group took front seats in the room as their fresh colleagues smiled for pictures.

13:30

The resignations are 'very serious'

Labour MP Jess Phillips told Sky News: “It is very difficult to say what it means in the long term but it’s very serious. There is no point underestimating that a crack like this could lead to bigger ructions across both political parties.

“I was born Labour and I felt like I’d die Labour but when I listen to my colleagues speaking, as they did before they left, I found it very hard to disagree with a lot of what they were saying.

“So now I pass that baton on to Jeremy Corbyn and expect him to really listen and take action. If those people don’t feel welcome in the Labour Party any more, we have a problem.

“If people like me are made to feel unwelcome going forward then, of course, you have to think ‘has the party left you behind?’”

13:28

The moment history was made as the three MPs join the opposition benches

Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston as they join the Independent Group of MPs on the back benches in the debating chamber in the House of Commons, London after they resigned from the Conservative Party. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday November 25, 2014. Photo credit should read: PA Wire (Image: PA)

13:17

Reaction from Huge Swire, MP for East Devon

13:10

More from Ben Bradshaw

Mr Bradshaw fears the Labour party is on the brink of destruction if it does not address a range of issues immediately, in the wake of the Independent Group being formed.

Reaction to Heidi Allen's resignation

A Conservative councillor for South Cambridgeshire District Council has suggested that voters in Heidi Allen’s constituency might have “voted for the person, not the party”.

Cllr Heather Williams told the Press Association: “She has a large majority, larger than we have had for many years, and that suggests that many people voted for the person, not just for the party.”

She added that Ms Allen’s resignation from the Conservatives is “a great loss to our party” as “she is a very hard-working constituency MP”.

12:49KEY EVENT

Reaction from Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw

“The significance of today’s news should not be underestimated, but it is too soon to tell whether this heralds a major realignment of British politics.

“I have enormous respect for Sarah who is an excellent Chair of the Commons Health Committee on which I serve and I have worked closely with her on trying to secure a public vote on any final Brexit deal.

“I know that Sarah has been very troubled by the Conservative Party’s lurch to the right and Mrs May’s constant pandering to the minority of hard Brexiteers on her own benches.

“Sarah has also been subject to indescribable bullying and threats and her local constituency association has also fallen to entryism by extremist followers of the leading Brexit campaigner Aron Banks, which can’t have made her job any easier.”

12:29

Chuka Umunna 'delighted'

12:23

More reaction to the resignations

Communities Secretary James Brokenshire told Sky News: “I am very saddened and disappointed that obviously this decision has been taken today. I pay tribute to my three former colleagues for all of their work over so many many years. I think the focus has to remain, as the Government is focused, on delivering Brexit.

“This was never going to be easy, seeking to negotiate an arrangement for us to leave after 40 years of membership was always going to underline some real challenges but it is right that we do move forward, that we secure that positive deal and can chart that bright positive force for our country but equally recognising the contribution of my three colleagues who have made a decision to leave today.

“I’m upset. I’m disappointed. The Conservative Party is a broad church and will remain so in offering that positive vision for our country and our future direction.”

Conservative MP Sir Patrick McLoughlin, a former party chairman, added: “We have had defections before. We have had people leave the party. I am very sorry that three Members of Parliament have decided that they no longer wish to support the Government on the back of which they were elected to support. We will just have to get on with the job.

“We have had people leave the party before and they have gone on to not be noticed.”

12:21

Independent Group now has as many MPs as the liberal Democrats

The Independent Group now has 11 MPs in the House of Commons - the same number as the Liberal Democrats, and one more than the DUP.

The resignations of Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston means the Conservatives now have 314 MPs, three down on the total won at the 2017 general election.

Labour is down 14 on the general election - the eight MPs who have joined the Independent Group, plus six other MPs who were elected as Labour in 2017 but who now sit as independents.

The Government still has a working majority in the House of Commons, thanks to the support of the DUP who have agreed to vote with the Conservatives on key issues including confidence motions and Budgets.

The combined total for the Conservatives and the DUP is 324, while the combined total for all other MPs is 318.

These figures do not include the seven Sinn Fein MPs who were elected at the 2017 general election, but who do not take their seats in the House of Commons. The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, is also not included.

The state of the parties in the House of Commons is now:

Conservative 314

Labour 248

SNP 35

Lib Dems 11

The Independent Group 11

DUP 10

Plaid Cymru 4

Green 1

Independents 8

12:07

Prime Minister Question's under way

12:02

More reaction

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd said: “Great shame to have lost the commitment and undeniable talent of three Conservative colleagues.

“I look forward to continuing to work with them on a number of important issues, including a Brexit deal that works for the whole country.”

11:56

History made in Parliament

Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston took up seats in the Commons on the opposition benches alongside the other Independent Group MPs.

11:55

The moment the three MPs join the opposition benches

11:55

Reaction from Gary Streeter, South West Devon MP

“I think she is a terrific constituency MP and I am sorry to see her go. British politics is in a state of churn. Some of the old loyalties and boundaries are breaking down.“We are entering a period of realignment. It is not the end of the story.”Mr Streeter was an SDP member of Plymouth City Council before joining the Tories and going on to be elected as an MP.He said he had no intention of leaving the Conservatives and expressed the hope that the resignation of Dr Wollastion and her two colleagues would lead to greater unity within the party.

He said: “I am a natural Tory. I Have no intention of going anywhere.”I hope that those on the other wing of the party will now rally behind the Prime Minister and stop causing trouble.”

11:52

Mayor of Totnes reaction

Judy Westacott, mayor of Totnes, said: “She’s a people person first and a Conservative second but the trouble is that she served under a Conservative mandate so was expected to vote with the Government. It’s not easy being a rebel.

“I have worked with her a lot and have always found her to be extremely helpful and fighting for what the people of Totnes want.

“I believe she will still have a a lot of support here, particularly in Totnes if she wanted to stand again as an Independent. I wish her well in whatever she chooses to do.”

11:52

Sarah Wollaston

“With regret I have resigned from the Conservative Party”

11:48

Anna Soubry tweets personal statement explaining why she resigned from the Conservative Party

Hello again,As you may have heard I have resigned from the Conservative Party and will now sit as an Independent. My decision to leave the Conservative Party, which I first joined over 40 years ago, has not been easy but I believe it is the right decision. I have explained my reasons in a letter sent this morning to the Prime Minister from myself and two other Conservative colleagues. On Monday a group of MPs resigned from the Labour Party and they are now sitting as members of the Independent Group and I will be sitting with them in Parliament. My decision will come as not much of a surprise to regular readers of this email newsletter. I have written of my belief that the Conservative Party is drifting to the right wing of British politics. I have also recognised that many constituents feel their views are not represented by either of the two main parties. Nottingham East MP Chris Leslie said on Monday in his resignation speech, “enough is enough”. I agree with him; in the last few years I have come to the firm view that I have more in common with his values and principles than many people in the Conservative Party. It is time to realign British politics and get back to the centre moderate ground. If you can, I hope you might send me your support. In any event, I will continue with my work for all my constituents - in that respect nothing has, or will, change. As ever,